Donations help purchase a life-saving tool

Photo Courtesy: Berrien County Sheriff\'s Office

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- Following the loss of Dakota “Cody” Yergeau in March, his family began receiving donations that would be used to purchase a life-saving piece of equipment to help emergency personnel save and recover people that get lost in Lake Michigan.

Yergeau lost his life on March 28 after being swept by waves off the south pier in St. Joseph.

His body was found after several weeks of thorough searching in Lake Michigan.

Community members rallied around the Yergeau family during the search and began sending numerous donations to them.

A portion of those donations would eventually be used to purchase an AquaEye for the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office and emergency personnel to have during water rescues.

The AquaEye is an advanced underwater scanner enabled with ultrasound and artificial intelligence technologies.

AquaEye strengthens water rescue efforts by being able to scan 85,000 square feet for human bodies in just five minutes.

The Yergeau family hopes this device will be able to help future water rescue victims and families while also serving as a nice memory of Dakota each time it is utilized.